Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

Basketball

Alfrancis Chua can now call Bonnie Tan ‘coach’


When Letran head coach Bonnie Tan was being interviewed by the TV panel last November 19, Alfrancis Chua had a twinkle in his eye.

Finally, he can now call his xuéshēng (student) a laoshī (teacher).

“Pag tumatawag siya sa akin, ‘Coach, coach kailan na?’,” said Chua, who is Letran’s Special Assistant to the Rector for Sports Development, during Letran’s victory celebration last November 29.

“I told him last Monday (November 25), ‘Now, I can call you a coach.’ “

Tan and Chua have come a long way together.

Back in 1988, a then wide-eyed Tan was one of the players of Chua in Grace Christian High School, a Chinese school located in Quezon City. However, Tan and Chua separated ways as the former needed to find himself.

Tan would be the first to admit that he was not a straight-A student. He was quite the opposite and he needed to transfer from University of Santo Tomas to Southern New Hampshire University to find his way.

But he and Chua, who is seven years his senior, never lost touch with one another.

And when Tan returned, he continued what Chua left in Grace, eventually becoming the athletics director of the school.

“Every year, we still hold a basketball camp in Grace called Step One Basketball. We do that camp to give back to our alma mater,” said Tan.

“That’s our way of making sure that our students can see sports as one of their career paths just like me and Coach Al.”

Besides going back to Grace, Tan would handle Lyceum and be the manager of NorthPort Batang Pier. However, it took him two decades to earn his stripes from Chua.

#ReadMore  PBA: Meralco holds off Adrian Nocum's OT surge, clinches first win

It was not because Tan did not deserve it according to Chua but it was because he had to earn it.NCAA95-MBB-18TH-PHOTO-CSJL-HEAD-COACH Alfrancis Chua can now call Bonnie Tan 'coach' Basketball CSJL NCAA News  - philippine sports news

“When I won three championships in the PBL back in 1995, Bobby Knight, the coach of Indiana, called me and he said, ‘Now, I can call you a coach.’ Sa kanya ako nag-seminar nun e,” said Chua, who is a seven-time champion in the PBL.

“Now, I am telling Bonnie na I can call him Coach Bonnie now.”

The journey of Tan may have been long and tough. Too long for some. But it ended up being all worth it as finally, he got his happy ending.

Written By


You May Also Like

AU

The University Athletic Association of the Philippines flexed its might in the quarterfinals of the Playtime Cares Filoil EcoOil 18th Preseason Cup presented by...

AdU

De La Salle University completed a clean sweep of the elimination round, while defending UAAP champion University of the Philippines wrapped up with back-to-back...

AdU

Adamson University-ARQ Builders escaped with a heart-pounding 86-84 overtime win against University of Santo Tomas-Weng Burs Apartelle to capture the 2025 Mayor Kirk Asis...

AdU

Far Eastern University needed every bit of Mo Konateh’s dominance to hold off Adamson University, eking out a gritty 68-66 overtime win in the...

Basketball

Letran extended its winning streak to four games with an 84–73 victory over Jose Rizal University, seizing the top spot in the NCAA Bracket...

Basketball

San Miguel has clinched the No. 1 seed entering the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup quarterfinals following a 126-91 crushing of a NorthPort side...

AU

Letran leaned on a second-half surge to end Benilde’s perfect run in the PlayTime Cares 18th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup presented by ABC Tile...

Basketball

Chicco Briones celebrated his 23rd birthday in style, exploding for 21 points to lead University of the Philippines past Far Eastern University, 75–65, and...

Advertisement